As Thanksgiving Day approaches, what better way to give thanks than to celebrate members of your caregiving team? I’ve written a whole slew of posts about my team from the very beginning of my blogging career, and I direct you there for thorough discussions about several of the individuals whom I counted on.
This sixth chapter of my teaching memoir, and the two chapters that follow, are the cornerstone content of what I want to say to caregivers.
You cannot do it alone. You need to assemble a team to help you provide care as well as manage the day-to-day tasks of maintaining a household. And even if you think you don’t have a team, I assure you that you do. I want to expand your idea of who a team member might be and encourage you to enlarge your team even further.
Today, I am giving thanks to our teams.
The professionals you call on are vital members of your team. Thank you to: physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, financial advisors, accountants, estate planners, elder-care lawyers, law enforcement officers, paid caregivers, counsellors, nursing home directors, and certified nursing assistants.
Family members might be valued members of your team: siblings, off-spring, parents, in-laws, and even second degree relatives such as grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews. Thank you!
Friends might surprise you in how willing they are to help. Hopefully, you can count on close friends. Thank you, too, to friends that are less well known, but who come to your aid, and even geographically distant friends.
Your faith community may be a source of aid. Thank you to all the churches, synagogues, and mosques that have programs in place for members needing assistance.
Thank you, neighbors, for help in yard-work, routine home maintenance and repair, a pair of watchful eyes, and transportation.
Community resources deserve our thanks: libraries, senior centers and community centers, support groups, respite care, adult day care, Meals-on-Wheels, and more.
Thank you’s go to the non-human members of your caregiving team: pets, neighborhood animals, and therapy animals (live and automated!)
I count information as a team member. You rely on good, solid information about Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. This can come in the form of books, videos, articles, and classes. Even fictional portrayals of dementia can be enlightening. On the internet, stick with trusted sites such as the Mayo Clinic, the Alzheimer’s Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association, and WebMD.
It is with much gratitude that I give thanks to all the members of the team that supported Harvey and our family during the eight years of his life with Alzheimer’s disease. Thank you all!
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I’ve created two worksheets that can help you construct and recognize your team. One lists categories of possible team members that you can use to brainstorm names, and the other lists tasks required to care for your loved one and their home. The idea is to make sure you have someone in place for each of the tasks, or at least an idea of who might fulfill that role in the future.
2 Responses
Thank you ! I really thought I was the only team member on my team. But you made me realize all the outside resources are considered part of my team! Shout out to Our Friend Susan Carter for introducing me to you virtual!
Yeah! Hey, I’m on your team, too!